Seco de res
Beef braised in a green sauce of blended coriander, ají amarillo and beer until tender, with peas and carrot. Served with creamy beans and white rice.
Recipe by I Want Some Food · Reviewed by the editorial kitchen.
- Prep
- 25 min
- Cook
- 2 hr 15 min
- Rest
- None
- Total
- 2 hr 40 min
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Spice
- Mild
- Cost
- A bit special$16–28 USD · indicative, not a store price
About
Seco de res is beef stewed slowly in a sauce whose colour and flavour come almost entirely from coriander: two big bunches blended with water, added to a base of onion, garlic and ají, and cooked down with chicha de jora or beer. Seco means dry, and the finished stew should be thick, not soupy, deep green-brown and fragrant. Chuck or shin work well; Peruvian cooks often use asado or brisket. Peas and carrot go in near the end, sometimes potato too. It is served the coastal way, with a scoop of white rice and creamy beans on the same plate.
What you'll need
19 ingredients. Tap each one once it's out on the bench.
- Stew
- To serve
Ingredients
Stew
- Beef, chuck, shin or brisket, in 5 cm chunks1 kg
- Coriander, leaves and tender stems2 bunch
- Onion, finely chopped2 medium
- Garlic, crushed6 clove
- Ají amarillo, paste30 ml
- Ají panca, paste15 ml
- Cumin, ground4.9 ml
- Dark beer, or chicha de jora330 ml
- Beef stock300 ml
- Carrot, sliced2 medium
- Peas, frozen150 g
- Salt9.9 ml
- Black pepper2½ ml
- Neutral oil, 3 for the stew, 1 for the beans59 ml
- Water, for blending the coriander150 ml
To serve
- Cannellini beans, or canary beans, cooked or tinned, with some liquid400 g
- Onion, finely chopped, for the beans½ medium
- Garlic, crushed, for the beans1 clove
- Rice, long-grain, raw weight; cooked plain or with a little garlic300 g
Scaling multiplies the written quantities. Baking still prefers a scale.
Steps
Step 1
Season the beef with half the salt and the pepper. Heat 2 tbsp oil in a heavy pot over high heat and brown the beef in batches, about 5 minutes per batch. Set aside.
15 min
Step 2
Blend the coriander with the water to a smooth, bright green purée.
2 min
Tip: Blend it just before it goes in. Left to sit, the purée darkens and turns bitter.
Step 3
Lower the heat, add another tablespoon of oil and fry the onion for 8 minutes until soft and golden. Add the garlic, ají amarillo, ají panca and cumin and cook 3 minutes, then add the coriander purée and cook 5 minutes, stirring, until it darkens slightly and smells cooked.
16 min
Step 4
Return the beef and its juices, add the beer, stock and remaining salt and bring to a simmer. Cover and cook gently for 1½ to 2 hours, until tender, uncovering for the last 20 minutes to thicken the sauce.
110 min
Step 5
Add the carrot for the last 20 minutes and the peas for the last 5. Taste for salt. The sauce should coat the meat thickly.
20 min
Step 6
While the stew finishes, fry the onion and garlic for the beans in the last tablespoon of oil in a saucepan for 5 minutes, add the beans with some of their liquid, mash about a third of them and simmer 10 minutes until creamy. Serve the stew with the beans and rice on the same plate.
15 min
Nutrition
Per serving · estimate
- Calories
- 758 kcal
- Protein
- 55.9 g
- Carbs
- 49.8 g
- Fat
- 35.9 g
- Saturated fat
- 11.5 g
- Fibre
- 10.4 g
- Sugar
- 7.3 g
- Sodium
- 1080 mg
Calculated from canonical ingredient data (USDA FoodData Central averages and equivalent published tables). Estimates only.
Allergens
Informational only. Not a medical guarantee. Cross-contamination happens in real kitchens.
- No major allergens flagged in the structured ingredients.
- Dairy-free
- Nut-free
Adapt this recipe
The original recipe stays as it is. Personal versions are labelled. Serving changes are simple maths.
Adaptations · 0 / 15 used. Resets 13 November.
Substitutions
Beef → Lamb shoulder or chicken thighs
Seco de cordero or seco de pollo. Chicken thighs need only about 40 minutes.
Dark beer → Extra beef stock with 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
No alcohol. The vinegar stands in for the sourness of chicha.
Tips
- The stew is better the next day. Stir in a spoon of freshly blended coriander when reheating to bring the colour back.
- Salsa criolla, thin-sliced red onion with lime and chilli, is a good sharp side.
History & culture
Seco is a Sunday and midweek lunch along Peru's coast and a standard on the set-menu boards of Lima's cheap restaurants. Seco con frijoles, with canary beans, is the classic combination. In the north it is made with kid or lamb and often comes with yuca. Leftover beans and rice become tacu tacu the next day.
Seco is a mestizo stew. Coriander, beef and the braising method came with the Spanish; ají and chicha de jora, a fermented maize drink, are Andean. The style is strongest on the northern coast, in Lambayeque and La Libertad, where seco de cabrito, made with kid goat, is the best-known version. Beef became the everyday meat for it in Lima.
Traditional — Chicha de jora, a fermented maize drink, is the traditional braising liquid on the north coast; dark or amber beer is the usual stand-in in Lima kitchens. Canary beans (frijol canario) are the classic side, and cannellini are the nearest common bean.
Provenance: Editorial adaptation.
Questions about this recipe
Answers taken from this dish's times, amounts, swaps and tips.
How long does Seco de res take?
2 hr 40 min all in — 25 min prep, 2 hr 15 min cook. Cook and rest follow the method. Leftover storage and optional extra waits are not included.
How many does it serve?
The recipe is written for 6 plates. Scale the ingredient list on the page if you are cooking for a different number.
How hard is it?
Medium.
How spicy is it?
Mild.
Does it fit a diet?
The published recipe is labelled Dairy-free, Nut-free.
What does it cost to cook?
A bit special — about $16–28 USD, as a grocery budget for this recipe, not a restaurant price.
6 more questionsFewer questions
What equipment do I need?
Dutch oven, Blender, Saucepan.
How much salt do I put in?
The recipe lists Salt at 2 tsp.
What can I use instead?
Beef → Lamb shoulder or chicken thighs. Seco de cordero or seco de pollo. Chicken thighs need only about 40 minutes. Dark beer → Extra beef stock with 1 tbsp red wine vinegar. No alcohol. The vinegar stands in for the sourness of chicha.
Any tips from this recipe?
The stew is better the next day. Stir in a spoon of freshly blended coriander when reheating to bring the colour back. Salsa criolla, thin-sliced red onion with lime and chilli, is a good sharp side.
Can I prepare this ahead?
The stew is better the next day. Stir in a spoon of freshly blended coriander when reheating to bring the colour back.
Can I use an air fryer?
This method is not written for an air fryer. The core technique on the page still applies.
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